What Is A Good Deadbolt Lock To Use With An IQ Panel 4?

For jobs where the distance between the lock and the IQ Panel 4 is relatively short, nearly any Z-Wave lock can be used. It is always the best idea to use the newest Z-Wave technology available. For applications where distance is an issue, the new Qolsys IQ Lock-PG is an excellent choice.

Below is shown the Kwikset HomeConnect 620 with Z-Wave Plus:

The Qolsys IQ Panel 4 has a Z-Wave Plus V2 controller built in. This chip, also known as the 700-Series Z-Wave chip is the latest iteration of the Z-Wave mesh network protocol. It has longer range than previous versions. It also offers better battery life, and has stronger encryption requirements than other versions. The controller in the IQ Panel 4 also supports devices with an 800-Series Z-Wave chip. These devices offer even better range and battery life than 700-Series devices. You can read up on the different versions of Z-Wave in this article.

As wireless communication protocols go, Z-Wave is pretty clever. Every version of Z-Wave controller is compatible with every version Z-Wave device. However, using a Z-Wave controller with the newest chip can't make a Z-Wave peripheral with an older chip behave as though it has the newer version. If you mix older Z-Wave protocol devices with newer ones on the same mesh network, the older devices will weaken the overall results. You can read about that in this article.

In theory any Z-Wave device should work with any Z-Wave controller. However, some devices may have settings or features that work better with some controllers than with others. Qolsys publishes a list of compatible Z-Wave devices. That doesn't mean that a device that's not listed is not compatible. It just means that the devices on the list have been tested and are known to work.

Z-Wave range has gotten steadily better through the years, but for an easy, and significant boost in wireless range, you should check out the new PowerG Everywhere devices. PowerG is a wireless protocol that transmits at 915 MHz for longer range. If you can remember, think back to the original cordless home phones, then remember how much the range increased when 900 MHz cordless phones came along. That's the kind of range and freedom we're talking about here.

The Qolsys IQ Lock-PG capitalizes on the long range capabilities of PowerG, and programs into the Qolsys IQ Panel 4 with the ease we've come to expect from Z-Wave. The IQ Panel 4 must be on firmware version 4.4.0+ to support PowerG automation. Once the panel is updated, follow these instructions to pair the IQ Lock-PG. From there, you can automate the lock based on panel status, schedule, or both.